CPRE guest blog: landmark report says new roads increase congestion

20th March 2017

Responding to the release of a report by Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) which found most new roads failed to reduce congestion and actually increased traffic instead, Bridget Fox, Sustainable Transport Campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport, said:

"This landmark report confirms lots of previous research which shows that new roads create new traffic and simply move jams around, rather than tackle the underlying problems. The Government should respond by reordering its priorities for road spending. Instead of pointlessly concreting over the countryside, it should focus on maintaining and improving the roads we have, investing in public transport alternatives and promoting less car-based development. That makes sense for taxpayers, transport users and the environment."